“Xanadu,” Pepperdine Theatre Department’s fall musical spectacular, premieres today under the direction of Bradley Griffin, an associate professor of theatre, and Bill Szobody, the show’s choreographer.
“Xanadu” is the story of a beautiful Greek muse, Kira, who leaves Mount Olympus with her muse brothers and sisters to inspire a struggling artist in Venice Beach, Calif. The year is 1980, so what better way to inspire an artist than with a roller disco extravaganza?
The play is based on the 1980 movie of the same name, written by Marc Reid Rubel, with music by Olivia Newton-John (who starred in the feature), John Farrar and the Electric Light Orchestra.
“The movie was a total flop,” Griffin admitted. “But the songs became popular, so the musical was intended as a spoof of the movie, and it’s an absolutely hysterical production.”
The play follows the story of Sonny Malone, the struggling, mortal artist from Venice Beach. In the process of inspiring Sonny to create the roller disco, muse Kira accidentally falls in love with him, which is strictly forbidden on Olympus terms. Because of this, Kira’s scheming sisters place a curse on her. But never fear, a happy ending with musical number in tow is just around the corner.
“The play is constantly poking fun at itself,” said senior Theatre major John Hays, who plays the part of Sonny. “It works because it knows it is outrageous and makes no sense, so when it goes to extreme levels, it’s just that much funnier.”
Hays describes his character as “a not too bright Venice Beach artist” and typical California boy.
“I’m from Texas, so we will see how my performance reads,” Hays said. “Keep in mind though, all of these characters are larger than life and are constantly making fun of themselves.”
Zach Sandberg, a senior Theatre and Spanish major who plays the role of Danny McGuire, a business mogul with whom Sonny pairs up to open the roller disco, agrees that the show’s strong point is its laugh factor.
“The show is just one joke after another,” Sandberg said. “It’s an hour and a half of laughs that I guarantee will leave you with a bright neon, 80s rock ’n’ roll stirring of the soul.”
Sandberg admits that while playing a character so much older than himself has been a challenge, he finds an interestingly relatable quality in his character.
“The very questions he was once faced with, such as choosing a life of material success versus one of artistic fulfillment, is not too far from my reality as I prepare to graduate,” Sandberg said.
Not all of the characters are quite as complex as Danny though. The muses, Kira’s sisters, brothers and partners in crime, are the energetic singers and dancers of the show.
The antagonist of the story is Melpomene, the Greek muse of tragedy, who spends the play seeking her revenge against her younger sister, Kira.
“She places curses, sings some extremely sassy songs, and is a larger than life character to play,” said Lauren Randol, who plays the role of Melpomene.
Kira’s other sisters and brothers are slightly less conniving, but no less funny and spirited.
“The great thing about portraying a muse is that we get to play several other characters as well, so it really allows us to open ourselves up as actors,” said sophomore Theatre and Music major Tyler Fromson, who plays Thalia, the Greek muse of comedy and poetry. “Also, we are basically in every dance number, so we are always doing something at any given time.”
Connor Lyons, a freshman Theatre major, plays Terpsicore, the Greek muse of dance.
“I relate to my character because I love dancing, and he has a lot of energy,” Lyons said. “The best part about working on this production was the choreography and really learning how to roller skate.”
It is about a roller disco after all, so expect plenty of skating action from the actors on stage.
“I think the audience will really enjoy the choreography, the music, the spectacle humor, the consolation of disco balls and the anticipation of roller skating accidents,” Lyons added.
The Graphic’s assistant news editor Madison Leonard, who plays the lead muse Kira, spends almost the entire show on skates.
“Madison has really done an amazing job at adapting to the skates,” Griffin said. “You almost can’t tell that she’s even on the skates anymore.”
For the big roller skating finale, a coach from Skateland in Northridge was hired to train the actors and actresses to become pros on wheels.
“At every rehearsal we always saved time to practice skating,” Griffin added.
Proficiency at roller-skating was even the final part of auditioning for the production. The prospective stars skated around in circles and were evaluated to see whether they were comfortable, or just terrified.
Something unique about this production is that it incorporates an onstage audience. The set of the production is a Greek theater, so the three amphitheater sections on the stage will be filled by 20 lucky audience members. Never fear though, if you are fortunate enough to have an onstage seat, you are not expected to jump in and participate in the show.
“We prefer leaving the acting to the actors,” Griffin said. “The intention is just to immerse the audience in the experience and to give a different perspective than from a house seat.”
1980s attire is encouraged, which means that neon, leg warmers, sweatbands and oversized shirts are entirely acceptable. Glow sticks will even be sold the night of the performances to encourage audience participation in the finale.
“It’s a hysterical musical,” Griffin said. “The humor is really where students live right now. It’s very current and relatable.”
“Xanadu” will be playing in Smothers Theatre tonight through Nov. 13, and continues Nov. 17 through 19.
